bow tie

American  

[boh] / boʊ /

noun

• bow ties
  plural

1. a small necktie tied in a bow at the collar.

2. a sweet roll or Danish pastry having a shape similar to that of a bow tie or butterfly.

---

bow tie British  

/ bəʊ /

noun

1. a man's tie tied in a bow, now chiefly in plain black for formal evening wear

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bow ties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bow tie

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bow tie

The only thing missing, really, was my nervous waiter in the bow tie.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

A collar and bow tie, worn by Sir David Suchet as Poirot, also sold for £650.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

No less than the staid bow tie baseball chronicler Ken Rosenthal described the Red Sox under Henry as “incoherent, dysfunctional and forever poised to overreact.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

And veteran director Spike Lee brought a splash of color to his ensemble of muted neutrals with a bright purple hat and bow tie.

From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026

Dressed in a tailcoat and white bow tie, he ate heartily and spoke at length with Robert Peary, the Arctic explorer who was credited with being the first to reach the North Pole.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple